Smokies To Open Streams To Native Brook Trout Fishing

"For the first time in more than 30 years, anglers will be allowed to catch and keep native brook trout in Great Smoky Mountains National Park", officials said Tuesday.

The new fishing policy will take effect April 15 on all but a handful of the park's 700 miles of streams in Tennessee and North Carolina as part of continuing research into the survival of the native brook or ``speckled'' trout, Smokies fisheries biologist Steve Moore said.

It's a dream come true

for local fly fishermen

``We've been dreaming about it and waiting for it,'' said Tim Doyle, a Walland resident and proprietor of Smoky Mountain Flywerks and Guide Service.

Once found in nearly every watershed, the brook trout lost lower-elevation habitat to siltation from heavy logging before the park's creation in 1934.

It was hoped the native trout would recover with the forest, but nonnative rainbow and brown trout stocked in the Park proved stiff competition.

Extensive monitoring in recent years, however, suggests the ``brookies'' are holding their own in restored populations.

Roy Hawk, treasurer of the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, said the chapter has been involved in helping with stream restoration since the early 1990s. He said members had been talking about the new fishing policy Tuesday and were excited about it. Hawk said the change would be good for the fisheries as well as anglers. ``Our chapter was formed to support the fisheries in the Park,'' he said.

Hawk said the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Technological University and Friends of the Smokies had also helped with stream restoration. ``It can't be done alone,'' he said. ``It takes a cooperative effort.''

According to Bob Miller, spokesman for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Park's fisheries managers have successfully restored 17 miles of stream to pure brook trout population.
``Given that we could find no ecological benefit to prohibiting anglers from taking brook trout, and the opportunity to offer anglers a very enjoyable experience, park management has decided to open nearly all streams to fishing,'' Moore said.

Park managers will continue watching for signs of harm to the native trout population as they prepare federal rules to permanently lift the ban on brook trout fishing in the park.

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